• Raúl Carrillo-Esper, Vladimir Contreras-Domínguez, Pedro Salmerón-Nájera, Roberto Carvajal-Ramos, César Hernández-Aguilar, and Aurelio Juárez-Uribe.
• Academia Mexicana de Cirugía, Postgrado de Medicina del Enfermo en Estado Crítico, Mexico. seconcapcma@mail.medinet.net.mx
• Cir Cir. 2003 Jul 1;71(4):319-23.

ObjectiveOur objective was to report a Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava in a critically ill patient.DesignCase report.PlaceIntensive care unit of a referral center.PatientA 52 years-old male without previous cardiovascular disease was admitted to the intensive care unit due to cranial trauma. A central left subclavian vein catheter was placed at his arrival at the center chest X-ray showed the catheter in the left of the cardiac silhohuete without hemo-pneumothorax. A angiographic evaluation through central venous catheter showed persistent left superior vena cava draining to the coronary sinus and right atrium with normal permeability of right superior vena cava. Other congenital alterations were excluded. Chest computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis. Persistent left superior vena cava is a congenital vascular abnormality. The intensive care unit staff must be aware of this vascular abnormality because it can complicate central venous catheterization.

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